present invention relates to an interactive audiovisual work for telling a story, and more particularly to a book incorporating a sound chip for producing sounds associated with the text of the book.
There are a variety of different "talking books" on the market which incorporate a sound chip so that the talking book can produce a variety of sounds, each sound being related to a specific textual portion of the book (which may be a graphic symbol). Typically the generation of sound effects results from the reader pressing one of a number of sound generating switches provided in a switch portion of the book. The reader actuates a sound-generating switch when there is identity between the symbol in the text portion of the book and the symbol on a sound-generating switch of the switch portion of the book, or because the symbol in the text portion is connected by a visible line to a particular sound-generating switch, or if there is some other means of causing association between a specific text portion and a specific sound-generating switch.
While the ability to generate sound effects greatly enhances the play value of a "talking book" relative to a conventional book, there is a limit to which the presence of sound effects--whether speech or otherwise--can increase the play value. As typically only one sound effect or monologue results from the actuation of a single sound-generating switch, and there is only space for a limited number of such switches on the book, the number of sound effects obtainable is quite limited (even though the sound chip itself is typically capable of producing many more sound effects). Worse yet, because there is a one-to-one correspondence between a sound-generating switch and the sound effect generated, even a youngster quickly learns to associate the sound effect and the switch so that the book loses any element of unpredictability and surprise.
A further limitation of the known "talking books" is that the various sound effects generated do not simulate a cycle of interactive or alternating conversations which involves the user. Thus, while it is a possible for a given sound effect in a conventional talking book to produce what appears to be a dialogue or conversation between two characters, this dialogue results from the one-time actuation of a single sound-generating switch and does not require any participation by the user. In other words, after actuation of the sound-generating switch, the dialogue or connection simply runs its course without regard to the user so that the user does not feel himself to be a part of the conversation. It is theorized that one reason for this limitation is the fear of the designer of such talking books that, if user interaction is required (especially when the user is a child), the user may interact in an unexpected or improper way with the ongoing dialogue so that it will no longer make sense, will be prematurely terminated, or will take a different tack.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an interactive audiovisual work for telling a story where there are more sound effects (including conversations) than there are sound-generating switches.
Another object is to provide such a work wherein actuation of a given sound-generating switch may at different times result in the generation of different sound effects or speech phrases.
A further object is to provide such a work which can mimic or simulate interactive or alternating conversations in which the user participates by selecting which characters talk when.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a work wherein the user cannot substantively alter the conversation produced in response to actuation of a sound-generating switch, but can only delay its completion and cause irrelevant but not inappropriate interjections thereinto.